Chinese Lacquerware
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Writing Box with Flowers and a Bird, Ming dynasty, 16th century (Important Cultural Property)
Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 9
September 29, 2020 (Tue) - December 13, 2020 (Sun)Lacquer is the sap of the lacquer tree, which grows in East and Southeast Asia. Naturally sticky, it can be brushed onto different materials, and hardens into a durable coating that is waterproof and resistant to acids, alkalis, and heat.
The history of lacquerware in China dates back to the Neolithic period. Over the past 7,000 years, a number of ornate decorative techniques have grown out of Chinese innovations, including: built-up layers of lacquer that are then carved, mother-of-pearl inlay, incised lines of gold, and a special type of decorative inlay made up of different colors of lacquer and outlined in incised lines.
| Designation | Name | Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance |
Period | Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number |
CMT | ||
| Highlight | Box with Dragons among Clouds | China | Southern Song dynasty, 13th century | TH-502 | |||
| Box with Birds and Flowers | China | Ming dynasty, 15th century | TH-366 | ||||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Writing Box with Flowers and a Bird | China | Ming dynasty, 16th century | TH-298-2 | ||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Writing Table with Birds and Flowers | China | Ming dynasty, 16th century | TH-298-3 |